A comparison between Thailand and India !!! Read - to get to know on what

A primary research was done by me on retail checkouts in Bangkok, Thailand which is now one of the top 5 countries to have established well itself in the retail sector.This is an extract from my thesis which i had to submit to obtain my M.B.A degree. This Particular comparison may be needless here, but not just this small comparison about a retail store but there can be 1000 differences between the two countries favouring positive to thailand.

My guide Mr.J.P.Tiwari(EXT Faculty IIPM)framed few questions and certain observations that I had to make during my trip to Bangkok in August’07.

Since i had a family friend Mr.Pavan Chuttimaitri of APN Publications settled in Bangkok, he took me to the top 5 retail chains in Thailand (Bangkok, Phuket, and Pattaya). The chains that I visited are:
• Lotus Tesco
• Carrefour
• Big C
• Home Pro
• Robinson


All these are hyper markets similar to the Big Bazaars and Metros in India. I also covered 7/11 which is a small retail store (something like Food Worlds in India).
My observations were as follows:
TESCO (visited 3 outlets, 3 cities)

1.)Hyper market containing 36 checkouts counters in a horizontal line operated by a cashier.

2.)They have got 6 quick lanes apart from the normal 36 checkout lanes.

3.)The counter staffs are being trained for a minimum of 4 months on the system and the software before they take up the duty.

4.)There is a supervisor who is keeping track of the checkout process continuously.

5.)There is a red light on top of every counter, in case of an emergency the cashier can switch on the light which will call for the store manager.


BIG C (visited 3 outlets, 3 cities)
1.)Hyper market containing 34 checkout lanes in alphabetical order.
2.)The checkout lanes are categorized in groups.
• Category A- checkout for groceries, provisions.
• Category B- checkout for toiletries, cosmetics.
• Category C- checkout for apparels, households.
• Category Z- checkout for other items including electronics and big commodities.


The above information were obtained by self observation and interviewing few store managers of the retail chains.

The comparison being made here shows that the retail checkout process in India lacks big time. Tesco (U.K.), an international brand lays high importance to the checkout process when asked “Why” to one of the store managers; his answer was “reputation and customer satisfaction.” Big C, a local Thailand brand has got tremendously organized checkout systems which are being tracked by cameras and professionals every minute. When asked “Why” to one of the store keeper, the answer was “We cannot tolerate traffic at the checkout terminals.” Carrefour, a French brand has got standardized and highly organized checkout system throughout the world.

The local brand Big Bazaar is one among the top retail brands in India. They have 4-5 outlets across 26 cities. They deal with A-Z commodities with back-down prices. But, the biggest problem that has been faced by this giant is immense checkout traffic. There has not been much importance or training that has been given to this area. Big Bazaar would be looking for an international venture soon, before which they should definitely look into this issue. When a country like Thailand is able to produce such high quality brand like Big C, why Not India?

The above mentioned retail chains varies in its size, where the largest have a maximum of 46 lanes and the smallest have a minimum of 18 lanes.

The small retail chain 7/11 in Thailand can be called one of the most organized retail chains in the world, not only in terms of checkout, but also in terms of shelf management, variety of products, staffing and a very simple checkout system.